PAEDIATRIC ASSESSMENTS
VISION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
Howes & Brown Optometrists, through their clinical education, training, and experience provide effective primary eye and vision services for children. We undertake examination procedures for evaluation of the eye health, vision status and visual perceptual skills development of infants and children to reduce the risk of vision loss and facilitate normal visual development. Timely paediatric assessments can minimize or avoid the adverse effects of developmental eye and vision problems in children through early identification, education, treatment, and prevention. We take care to inform and educate patients, parents/caregivers, and other health care providers about the importance and frequency of pediatric eye and vision examinations.
Vision assessment is an important part of the medical care of children. Some eye abnormalities that are not treated in the first few months (e.g. cataracts, pronounced ptosis) or years (asymmetric refractive errors) of life can lead to irreversible vision loss. Poor vision and vision loss also may be an early indication of serious or life-threatening diseases, such as retinoblastoma.
Appropriate regular visual assessments help identify children who may benefit from early interventions to guide the development of vision. Vision as a process develops, enabling us to inspect, discriminate, compare, contrast, comprehend and to guide our movement and action systems. Examination of the eyes and visual system should begin in the nursery and continue throughout both childhood and adolescence, to determine the normal sequence of development is occurring, within expected milestone parameters.
